Bella Thorne Had a Really Hard Time Telling the World She Was Molested at a Young Age

Former Disney Channel star, Bella Thorne, confirmed in December 2017 she had been molested as a child, but it hasn't been an easy road for her since the confession. During a recent interview with [Under the Influence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkkLUQ-NeA)_, the actress opened up about her decision to come out after a fan commented on a photo of her wearing a v-neck dress on Twitter.

She said, "I was just very sad. I remember I was laying in bed and the first thing I tweeted was — someone said this stupid f—ing comment that said, 'Was it Disney or were you just molested?'"

Bella responded to the Twitter troll and wrote, "Yeah I was. So it wasn't Disney." While her tweet got a lot of attention, she admits now that she struggled with the decision to put it out there in the first place.

"I was like, no it wasn’t Disney. I tweeted it out and I was like, 'Oh f–k do I delete it?' Then I was like, 'No, Bella. You just let it stay on there,' she shared. "And then I didn't say anything about it for a while."

It wasn't until the beginning of January 2018 that she decided to share even more details about the abuse. She said in an Instagram post, "I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14..when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it. All damn night. Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again."

She continued, "Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did. But some of us aren't as lucky to get out alive. Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated. #timesup."

But Bella regretted this too and turned to her manager for some guidance — only wanting to know if what she shared was "bad."

She explained that his response was everything she needed to hear. "He was like, 'Is it bad? Bella, there's nothing bad about this. This is good. You are not any less of a person because this has happened to you.' It was one of the first times that someone had actually said that to me since it happened and it really meant the world to me."

If you need support, The National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673. You will be connected with a trained staff member in your area. Or visit RAINN.org to chat online one-on-one with a support specialist at any time.